As a company, you have something to tell about your brand or product. You want to make clear why your brand is so great and why it deserves attention. You immediately think about having a logo because you want to give your brand a face and show the outside world that you exist. Well, you are wrong.

A strong story is gold

When designing a logo I always start doing research on what the brand does, what its mission is and on what kind of audience it focuses. This research helps me to create a story, which is the most important element in creating a brand. The logo of a brand is actually of secondary importance and can be seen as an empty bag. Only when this bag is filled with a story, the logo gets a meaning.

Let’s take a look at the logo I created for Epsylon for example. Epsylon is an umbrella organization of psychiatric care centers in Brussels and offers besides psychiatric help the opportunity to assisted living. It aims to give a mentally healthy ba g to each of their patients. The focus is not on the psychological state of the people, but on how the environment and the people themselves deal with this and how they feel about it.

This message was the most important element to keep in mind when designing the logo. It was not about the current mental state of the patients , but it was about the state Epsylon is working towards which offers the patients a more pleasant and more qualitative life.

Visualizing the story

Once it is clear what story must be told , I am looking at how it can best be translated into a logo. This is done by sketching and looking for shapes and elements that fit the brand.

Sketches of the Epsylon logo

During the sketching process, the link to natural elements was quickly made . Natural elements often have symbolic meanings which are connected with finding inner peace and rediscovering yourself. Starting from this idea, the dragonfly became the symbol of Epsylon. A dragonfly symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self-realization.

The power of colors and fonts

After having created a rough sketch of the logo, it is time to finalize it. At this point, the use of the computer comes in handy as it is easier to work more precisely and play with colors and fonts. The symbol and typography are balanced in such way they reinforce each other . Once all elements are properly placed, color is added. The reason why I make all my logos in black and white first, is because I believe that when it works in black and white, it will work in any color.

Different versions of the dragonfly.

Placement of the elements.

Finding the right color combination requires a lot of attention because as in pictures, colors display a certain emotion. It is therefore important to match the right colors to the brand. The font choice has another important role as it is also linked with emotions. Think about the Coca-Cola logo with its elegant typography which screams joy and happiness. The red color reinforces this message and is seen as the color of warmth, positivism and love.

The color choice of the Epsylon logo was quite obvious. A dragonfly comes in different colors, but the colors blue and green make a perfect combination for Epsylon. Blue exudes calm and peace, something patients can use very well. Green is the color of nature and renewal. It is believed to bring energy and creates peace and harmony in our lives.

Color usage and combinations.

The font is light and the wide spaces between the letters give the logo an open and peaceful look. This peacefulness and opening the minds is a goal Epsylon tries to achieve with their patients.

Final version of the Epsylon logo.

The creation of a logo is more than a good looking symbol or picking a nice font. A logo starts with the story of the brand and it is only a reflection of this story. Remember how I compared a logo with an empty bag. If the bag is empty, the logo has no meaning at all.

Should every logo have such a profound message which makes it almost look like science or philosophy? Not at all! And to be honest, it has nothing to do with science of philosophy . It just depends on the brand. Pampers, for example, will never communicate on the same level as Epsylon. Pampers makes the lives of parents and their babies easier and more comfortable. Epsylon on the other hand has a much more serious message to communicate. It is thus logical that the Epsylon logo has a more profound meaning.